London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Reddit bought a 5-second Super Bowl ad honoring 'underdogs' involved in GameStop trading frenzy

Reddit bought a 5-second Super Bowl ad honoring 'underdogs' involved in GameStop trading frenzy

Reddit Chief Marketing Officer Roxy Young told FOX Business in a statement that the Super Bowl ad came together in "just a few short days" with the help of its agency partners at R/GA. 

In all the craziness of Sunday night's Super Bowl, viewers in some of America's biggest cities may have missed an ad from Reddit.


The spot ran for a total of five seconds, consisting of a simple message honoring the "underdogs" involved in the GameStop trading frenzy last month, which appeared to be jammed between a car commercial and a video of horses.

"Wow, this actually worked," Reddit's message read. "If you’re reading this, it means our bet paid off."

The company acknowledged that while it couldn't afford to buy a full Super Bowl ad, it was "inspired" and decided to spend its entire marketing budget on the five seconds of airtime. According to Variety, a full 30-second Super Bowl ad cost around $5.5 million. Therefore, a five-second ad would cost about $915,000.

But the spot did not air nationally, as major networks -- especially for the Super Bowl -- do not fractionalize ad inventory. This aired on several of CBS' owned stations including WCBS in New York, KCBS in Los Angles, WBBM in Chicago and KPIX in San Francisco.

"One thing we learned from our communities last week is that underdogs can accomplish anything when they come together around a common idea," Reddit continued, in reference to the platform's speculative investing discussion forum WallStreetBets. "Who knows, maybe you’ll be the reason finance textbooks have to add a chapter on “tendies.” Maybe you’ll help r/SuperbOwl teach the world about the majesty of owls. Maybe you’ll even pause this 5-second ad. Powerful things happen when people rally around something they really care about. And there’s a place for that. It’s called Reddit."

Reddit Chief Marketing Officer Roxy Young told FOX Business in a statement that the Super Bowl ad came together in "just a few short days" with the help of its agency partners at R/GA.

"I am really proud of what we were able to achieve with just five seconds and think it beautifully captures the heart of Reddit in our unique and brilliantly absurd tone,” Young added.

The advertisement comes after Reddit users banded together last month to buy up the struggling video game retailer's call options, causing GameStop stock to surge to unprecedented levels and hurt market short-sellers. According to data provided to FOX Business by financial data firm Ortex, short-sellers have lost at least $19 billion on GameStop stock as of Jan. 29.

WallStreetBets then began targeting other heavily-shorted stocks, including AMC Entertainment Holdings, Blackberry Limited, Bed Bath & Beyond, Express Inc, and Nokia Corp, among others.

The move caught the attention of Wall Street and Main Street alike and prompted investing platforms like Robinhood to restrict trading on the securities. Robinhood's decision sparked anger online, resulting in two lawsuits being filed against the company before the move was later rolled back.

However, some lawmakers, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., were all in agreement that there should also be a congressional investigation into Robinhood's action. Robinhood co-founder Vlad Tenev has reportedly been asked to testify on Capitol Hill before the House Financial Services Committee on Feb. 18 at 12:00 p.m. ET to address the recent market volatility.


Tenev previously said in a Twitter thread said that the investment app restricted the stocks because it has many financial requirements, including "SEC net capital obligations and clearing house deposits", which fluctuate based on market volatility.

"These requirements exist to protect investors and the markets and we take our responsibilities to comply with them seriously, including through the measures we have taken today," he added. "To be clear, this decision was not made on the direction of any market maker we route to or other market participants."

His comments came amid reports that major hedge funds with ties to Robinhood, including Sequoia Capital and Citadel Securities, were involved in the decision to halt trading. Both of the firms have denied involvement in the decision.

In addition, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen held a meeting with the heads of the Federal Reserve, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Commodities Future Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission to determine if "further action" would be warranted related to the market volatility surround GameStop. Both the SEC and New York Attorney General Leticia James also said they would conduct their own reviews into the matter.


GameStop shares have fallen more than 7% during Monday's trading session as of the time of publication.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The Great Western Exit: Why Best Citizens Are Fleeing the Rich World [PODCAST]
The New Robber Barons of Intelligence: Are AI Bosses More Powerful Than Rockefeller?
The End of the Old Order [Podcast]
Britain’s Democracy Is Now a Costume
The AI Gold Rush Is Coming for America’s Last Open Spaces [Podcast]
The Pentagon’s AI Squeeze: Eight Tech Giants Get In, Anthropic Gets Shut Out [Podcast]
The War Map: Professor Jiang’s Dark Theory of Iran, Trump, China, Russia, Israel, and the Coming Global Shock [Podcast]
Labour Is No Longer a National Party [Podcast]
AI Isn’t Stealing Your Job. It’s Dismantling It Piece by Piece.
Lawyers vs Engineers: Why China Builds While America Litigates [Podcast]
Churchill’s Glass: The Drunk, the Doctor, and the Myth Britain Refuses to Sober Up From
Apple issues an unusual warning: this is how your iPhone can be hacked without you doing anything
Kennedy’s Quiet War on Antidepressants Sparks Alarm Across America’s Medical Establishment
The Met Gala Meets the Age of Billionaire Backlash
Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht Crosses Hormuz via Iran-Controlled Route
Gunfire Disrupts White House Correspondents’ Dinner as Trump Is Evacuated
A Leak, a King, and a Fracturing Alliance
Inside the Gates Foundation Turmoil: Layoffs, Scrutiny, and the Cost of Reputational Risk
UK Biobank Breach Exposes Health Data of 500,000, Listed for Sale on Chinese Platform
KPMG Cuts Around 10% of US Audit Partners After Failed Exit Push
French Police Probe Suspected Weather-Data Tampering After Unusual Polymarket Bets on Paris Temperatures
CATL Unveils Revolutionary EV Battery Tech: 1000 km Range and 7-Minute Charging Ahead of Beijing Auto Show
Crypto Scammers Capitalize on Maritime Chaos Near the Strait of Hormuz: A Rising Threat to Shipping Companies
Changi Airport: How Singapore Engineered the World’s Most Efficient Travel Experience
Power Dynamics: Apple’s Leadership Shakeup, Geopolitical Risks in the Strait of Hormuz, and Europe's Energy Strategy Amidst Global Challenges
Apple's Leadership Transition: Can New CEO John Ternus Navigate AI Challenges and Geopolitical Pressures?
Italy’s €100K Tax Gambit: Europe’s Soft Power Tax Haven
News Roundup
Microsoft lost 2.5 millions users (French government) to Linux
Privacy Problems in Microsoft Windows OS
News roundup
Péter András Magyar and the Strategic Reset of Hungary
Hungary After the Landslide — A Strategic Reset in Europe
Meghan Markle Plans Exclusive Women-Focused Retreat During Australia Visit
Starmer and Trump Hold Strategic Talks on Securing Strait of Hormuz Amid Rising Tensions
Unofficial Australia Visit by Prince Harry and Meghan Expected to Stir Tensions with Royal Circles
Pipeline Attack Cuts Significant Share of Saudi Arabia’s Oil Export Capacity
UK Stocks Rise on Ceasefire Momentum and Renewed Focus on Diplomacy
UK to Hold Further Strategic Talks on Strait of Hormuz Security
Starmer Voices Frustration as Global Tensions Drive Up UK Energy Costs
UK Students Voice Concern Over Proposal for Automatic Military Draft Registration
Rising Volatility Drives Uncertainty in UK Fuel and Petrol Prices
UK Moves to Deploy ‘Skyhammer’ Anti-Drone System to Strengthen Airspace Defense
New Analysis Explores UK Budget Mechanics in ‘Behind the Blue’ Feature
Man Arrested After Four Die in Channel Crossing Tragedy
UK Tightens Immigration Framework with New Sponsor Rules and Fee Increases
UK Foreign Secretary Highlights Impact of Intensified Strikes in Lebanon
UK Urges Inclusion of Lebanon in US-Iran Ceasefire Framework
UK Stocks Ease as Ceasefire Doubts in Middle East Weigh on Investor Confidence
UK Reassesses Cloud Strategy Amid Criticism Over Limited Support Measures
×